Blood Bound
by EstrellaQueAdmiro
Summary: Sam Winchester has adjusted to the apple pie life, with his six year old daughter and progressing career. But will this all change when Dean returns from Hell after five years? Sequel to We Leave The Fight But it Never Leaves Us.
1. Chapter 1

After having his shoulder shaken for a good few seconds, Sam finally opened his eyes to find an envelope on his pillow.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" Rosie said in a voice way too chirpy for that time of the morning as she pulled back the blankets. The young father couldn't help but smile, but was too exhausted to sit up.

"Thank you, princess," he mumbled sleepily, groaning as his daughter tugged at his shirt in an attempt to get him up, "Let Daddy sleep a little longer, alright?"

"But you gotta get up and open your presents, Daddy!" Rosie pressed, giving her father the puppy eyes she'd got from him. Sam chuckled but didn't get up

"I will, I will. But I had a lot of work to do last night, I didn't get much sleep," the young lawyer pulled the blankets back over himself. Rosie pouted and gave in.

"O-kay," the little girl said slowly and dramatically, putting the envelope on the bedside table before getting under the covers, "Hurry up and get lots of sleep."

The two Winchesters slept in for another couple hours, Rosie curled up against Sam's side with one hand clinging to his shirt. The young father sat up, lifting his daughter onto his knee. Rosie grumbled and buried her face in his chest in protest of being disturbed.

"Thought you wanted me to hurry up?" Sam chuckled, tickling her cheek gently, "Or are we going to spend my birthday right here?"

"No!" Rosie gasped and got up to grab the envelope from the table, "Happy birthday, Daddy!"

The card was handmade by Rosie herself, a blue card with a drawing of herself and her father in party hats, holding hands outside their house. Ariel, Rosie's favourite Disney Princess, was also featured along with a few other Disney characters for good measure. "Happy Birthday, Daddy" was written in wobbly lettering across the top. Sam couldn't help but smile. It reminded him of his own childhood, how he'd made cards like those for Dean when he was a kid. It was never nice card or paper like Rosie had. He was lucky to have smuggled a sheet of plain white paper from some of his schools. Otherwise, it was anything Sam could find. A receipt, a flyer, maybe some ripped pages from notebooks. But without fail, for Christmas and for Dean's birthday, the older Winchester boy would receive a card of some form.

"Oh wow," the young father chuckled, "That's a beautiful card."

He pulled his little girl close and planted a kiss on her cheek, "Thank you, sweetheart."

Sam carried Rosie downstairs, Rosie braiding her father's hair as he went, and sat her on the work surface in the kitchen.

"Are you going to help me make pancakes?" he placed the ingredients beside her and started heating a frying pan. The six-year-old squealed in excitement and nodded, her blonde curls bouncing around her head.

"Do we have strawberries? And Nutella?" she chirped eagerly, helping Sam to make the batter.

"Of course," Sam smirked, "Would I ever deprive you of your strawberries?"

The father and daughter tucked into their breakfast after several failures and many successes. Rosie had covered her pancakes in excessive Nutella and several strawberries, something Sam wasn't sure he approved of but let it slide just this once. It was his birthday, he didn't feel like being in health-conscious Dad mode. Besides, pancakes were a treat.

"Can uncle Cas come and have pancakes, Daddy?" the little girl said through a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Sam shook his head with an amused smile at how similar he sounded to his own father, "Uncle Cas is very busy right now, Rosie. He won't be able to visit for a while."

"What's he doing?" Rosie frowned, "Maybe we can help him!"

"He's got a lot going on at his job. We're too far away to help him, sweetheart," the young father sighed softly and pushed his plate away slightly. He knew exactly where Castiel was. The angel was finally getting somewhere with getting Dean out of hell. Sam wasn't even sure how he felt anymore. He'd struggled with the loss of his brother to begin with. Cas had disappeared for a while after he was sure Sam was completely healthy again, leaving him alone with his infant daughter and nightmares that plagued him frequently. Bobby and the Harvelles helped him out when they could, of course, but the distance made that difficult. Rosie was cared for by her grandparents or uncle on the days Sam had to work, which he was grateful for. Occasionally, however, he'd been forced to bring his little daughter with him. His boss wasn't best pleased and his clients a little taken aback to find an infant asleep in a travel carrier beside the desk, but he did his best.

The pressures of being a single father while grieving his brother certainly hadn't gone away, but over time Sam grew accustomed to it. He missed Dean, just as he missed Jess. Not a day went by when Sam wouldn't wish his brother and wife back. It certainly never got any easier, but it was bearable thanks to Rosie. She was the sweetest kid, she made the day worth facing. Her beautiful smile, just like her mother's, warmed the Winchester's heart and kept him going. His daughter never failed to lighten his mood and he was so grateful for that. But now, now that the possibility of his brother returning from hell was increasing, Sam was conflicted. He wanted his brother back, but he'd only just got used to him not being there. How would Rosie react to a man she barely knew moving in, and more worryingly, how would Dean's time downstairs have affected him? The younger Winchester brother was unsure if he was comfortable with having him around his daughter.

Rosie pouted for a moment before going back to eating her pancakes. This time she waited until she finished before she spoke again, "What about Uncle Bobby and Auntie Ellen? Can they come visit? With Auntie Jo and Uncle Ashy?"

"We'll visit them soon," Sam put his and Rosie's plates in the kitchen sink, "You can call them later, if you want to."

"Maybe they'll call you so they can sing you happy birthday!" Rosie grinned at him and hopped down from her chair. Sam couldn't help but laugh at the mental image of Bobby singing happy birthday to him. That was a sight he'd want to see.

"C'mon then. Where shall we go today?" the young father looked back at his daughter as he washed and dried the plates.

"You gotta choose, Daddy, its your birthday!" Rosie ran to get her coat and shoes on but instead diverted to the phone as it began to ring, "Hello?"

Sam shook his head in amusement as he heard the little girl chatting on the phone to whoever had called.

"Me and Daddy had pancakes for his birthday! And we're gonna do something fun too but I don't know what because Daddy hasn't decided yet," she looked at Sam and grinned, "Uncle Bobby's on the phone, Daddy!"

"Hey, Bobby," the younger Winchester brother brushed his bangs from his eyes as he took the phone.

"Happy birthday, son," Bobby's gruff voice seemed reasonably light hearted, "Rosie pumped full o' sugar already?"

"Seems like it. Pretty sure there was more Nutella than pancake," Sam grinned.

The older hunter let out a quiet chuckle, "Make sure she takes care of her old man. How you holdin' up?"

Sam's expression fell a little, luckily while his daughter wasn't watching, "I'm fine. Honestly. I'm alright."

"Heard from Cas?"

"No," Sam shook his head, "Not in weeks."

Bobby sighed, unsure if that was a good sign or not. Either he was close to saving the older Winchester brother, or he'd died trying. Rosie skipped around her father, pirouetting around him and practising her ballet. Sam couldn't help but smile.

"I'd better go, Bobby," he said quietly, "I think someone's getting a little impatient."

Bobby chuckled and rubbed his beard, "I bet. You two have fun."

"We'll see you soon, Bobby," Sam put down the phone and turned his attention to his little girl, "So, where are we going?"

"I told you, _you're_ meant to pick! It's not my birthday 'til August!" Rosie hugged Sam's arm and continued quietly, "Can we go see my giraffe?"

Sam chuckled and grabbed his car keys from the side table, "Giraffes it is."

Sam had got himself and Rosie a membership to the nearby zoo after Rosie's grandmother took them both there three years ago. Three year old Rosie had loved it, and they'd been there regularly ever since. For her fifth birthday, Sam had adopted a giraffe, her favourite animal, in Rosie's name, a gift she was very proud of. The certificate was in a frame beside her bed and the stuffed animal was almost as precious as the toy bunny she'd had since she was born. Her favourite thing was the fact her name was on the plaque beside the enclosure.

Rosie clambered into the car, giraffe toy in hand. The familiar music from _Frozen _started playing the moment Sam started the engine. Dean would tease the hell out of his little brother for allowing that, Sam was pretty sure he knew every single damn word to _Let It Go_.

"How about we go get some snacks later, have a movie night?" the young father looked in the rear view mirror at his daughter quietly singing along to the music.

"What movie? Oh…I know! Lion King! 'cause we'll see lions!" Rosie squealed, "Popcorn and cheetos and cookies!"

Sam grinned as he pulled into the parking lot, "Sounds like a plan."

Rosie hopped from the car and grabbed onto her father's hand, "Will Patch remember me, Daddy?"

Sam chuckled at the name she'd given her adopted giraffe, "I'm sure she will."

The pair spent a good half hour watching the giraffes, Sam sitting on a nearby bench with coffee in a paper cup while Rosie stood by the fence chatting to the animals. After Rosie had told the giraffes all about Sam's birthday and what she'd done at school recently, she ran back and climbed onto Sam's knee.

"Patch said happy birthday!" the little girl giggled and kissed her father's cheek, "She told me to give you this!"

"Well tell her thank you," Sam grinned, "Shall we go see the other animals, or shall we go somewhere else?"

"I wanna see the tigers!" she squealed as Sam placed her down on her feet.

A couple hours were spent visiting Rosie's favourite animals before they left to go to what had been Sam and Jess' favourite pizza place. It had since become Rosie's favourite place too.

"Daddy?" Rosie said through a mouthful of garlic bread as Sam sneakily checked his work emails despite promising he wouldn't on his birthday.

"Hm?" the young lawyer slipped his work phone into his pocket quickly and looked up at his daughter, giving her his undivided attention once more

"Do you miss mommy?" the six-year-old's voice was quiet, as if she were nervous. They'd talked about Jess more often recently, but as soon as she asked she wondered if her father's birthday was the best time to ask, "Did she like giving you presents for your birthday?

Sam smiled sadly, "I miss your mom every day, sweetheart. She used to love birthdays. When I turned twenty-one, she spent hours hiding away at her apartment, I thought she'd forgotten. No one really celebrated my birthday when I was growing up, so it didn't really matter to me. But I got back to my apartment and found a giant birthday cake, my first ever birthday cake. And she was waiting there for me with presents and a movie and…"

The young father quit while he was ahead, trailing to a stop. Rosie got the message.

"Was it good cake?" she asked lightly, pushing the crusts of garlic bread away from her.

"Really good cake," Sam chuckled, "As good as your Grandma's cake."

"I bet Grandma made you a birthday cake, Daddy! She always makes cakes!" the six-year old grinned.

"Maybe," the former hunter smiled a little wistfully.

"Why did no one celebrate your birthday?" Rosie frowned, smiling shyly at the server as their pizza was placed on the table.

"Thanks," Sam smiled quickly at the server and turned his attention back to his daughter. He was willing to tell her anything she wanted to know about her mother, he wanted to be able to talk to her about anything she needed to talk about, "My Dad, he wasn't…he wasn't very…"festive.""

There were many words he would have liked to have called his father, but held back for the sake of his little girl.

"So…no birthday cake? Or presents?"

"I'd get presents, sometimes. A lot of the time my brother's old stuff. Sometimes Dean, he'd get me something, candy or a toy car," Sam sighed quietly at the thought of his big brother.

"But then why do you tell everyone you don't want presents, Daddy?" Rosie frowned, tilting her head in a similar way to Castiel. Sam couldn't help but smile.

"I don't need anything. Spending my birthday with my little girl is enough of a present for me."

Rosie hopped down from her chair and climbed onto her father's knee, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head in his shoulder as she'd always done.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered, looking up at him and smiling. Sam hugged his daughter close, kissing her forehead and running his fingers through her hair.

"I love you too," he smiled, "More than anything."

Rosie clung to her father a moment, before remembering their meal, "The pizza will get cold!"

She clambered back onto her seat and took a slice of pizza, Sam doing the same shortly after.

"Can we go to the Disney store before we go see Grandma and Grandpa?" the little girl asked politely, wiping her mouth with a napkin once she finished eating.

"I don't see why not. Are we going to have some ice cream?" Sam handed the dessert menu to his daughter with a smile.

"Yeah! A big ice cream with sparklers for your birthday!" Rosie gave him an excited grin. The young father stifled a groan. The restaurant wasn't exactly quiet, the last thing he wanted was attention being drawn to himself. But his little girl looked so hopeful that he couldn't turn it down. He could cope with a little humiliation.

As the ice cream was brought to their table, a large sundae drizzled with chocolate and strawberry sauce and topped with strawberries and whipped cream, Sam was relieved his daughter was shy around strangers. The giant sparklers were enough, he didn't need anyone telling the staff it was his birthday. They'd been in there enough times to know that place _loved_ birthdays.

"C'mere, monkey," Sam scooped Rosie into his arms and sat her on his knee to wipe the ice cream from around her mouth. The six-year-old giggled, dipping her finger in the remainder of the ice cream and dabbed it on her father's nose. Sam gasped dramatically and wiped it off, dabbing some ice cream on her cheek in return. Rosie squealed and buried her face in his shoulder, accidentally getting ice cream on his shirt.

"Oops! Sorry, Daddy," Rosie shrunk away a little in fear of getting in trouble. Sam just chuckled and squeezed her gently.

After a long day, with the Moores insisting their son-in-law and granddaughter stayed for dinner, Sam and Rosie set off to get home for their movie night. The sky was beginning to darken and Rosie was beginning to flag. She'd been telling her grandparents all about Patch the giraffe and everything they'd done that day, and hadn't stopped yawning the whole time. Sam carried his little girl to the car and strapped her into her seat, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Did you have a good birthday, Daddy?" Rosie mumbled sleepily, hugging the new Tinkerbell doll bought for her from the Disney Store. Sam rarely left that store without buying something.

"A very good birthday," Sam murmured, ruffling her hair as she yawned and clutched at her doll. The little girl fell asleep soon after, and with a loving smile the young father got into the driver's seat and started the car.

The roads were quieter than usual on the ride back home, and Sam tapped his fingers on the steering wheel along with the Disney music playing quietly.

But the music stopped, the lights began to flicker. The former hunter tightened his grip on the wheel, trying to convince himself it was just coincidence. They weren't far from home now, it wouldn't be long until they were back in the safety of their warded home. Rosie had grown up with salt lines in the house, she didn't know any different. She wasn't brave enough to question anyone about the lack of salt in their houses.

Sam widened his eyes as a car was speeding directly towards him. With a glance back at Rosie, who was still sound asleep, he swerved in an attempt to avoid it. The car smashed into the side of Sam's despite his efforts, hitting his head on the steering wheel and knocking him unconscious.

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	2. Chapter 2

Sam held onto his little girl's hand as if afraid she would disappear right in front of him. He did his best to block out the oxygen mask on her face, the large bandage wrapped around her head and her arm in a sling. Tears rolled down his cheeks at the sight of his little girl so broken.

He'd got out reasonably unscathed besides a broken leg and a few cuts and bruises. Nothing compared to what Rosie had suffered.

The young father had woken up just a few minutes after the collision. The Disney music was still playing, a little ominous amidst the confusion that clouded Sam's mind. His head throbbed painfully as he tried to look at his surroundings. It took a while before he remembered what happened.

"Rosie," he'd whispered to himself before turning to look at her, "Rosie? Sweetheart, are you alright?"

The six-year-old didn't answer, but the air was forced from Sam's lungs at the sight behind him. One side of the car had been crushed inwards by the force of the other car, the car seemingly with no driver. Rosie was dangerously close to a large jagged spike of warped metal, and was curled up with her head bleeding and arm trapped beneath part of the damage. Panic flared through every nerve in Sam's body.

"Rosie!" his voice was desperate as he flew open his car door. He collapsed to the floor with a cry of pain as his right leg exploded in agony and gave way as soon as he put weight on it. He fell onto the grass by the roadside, breathing laboured as he struggled through the pain. He had to get his daughter out of there.

Sam fell back as he yanked the door open but instantly scrambled up to grab Rosie from the wreckage. He was struggling to stay standing, avoiding putting weight on his leg as he went to lift his little girl. Luckily her arm wasn't too badly trapped, although he winced as he gently moved it away. Her tiny arm was almost black with bruises and hung at an awkward angle. Sam could only hope he wasn't causing her more pain.

"Rosie?" he whispered, sitting back and cradling his daughter in his arms. He struggled to stay composed, "Daddy's got you, you're safe. You're safe."

Sam ran his hand through his daughter's hair, but his hand came away sticky with blood. A gasp caught in his throat, "Oh, god. Rosie, Rosie. Wake up, you gotta wake up."

"_Castiel!" _

He held his daughter at arm's length, cupping her face in his hands desperately. After checking her pulse the young father relaxed slightly, "You hold on, Rosie. Hold on for me. Please. Please hold on for me."

"_Castiel!" _Sam yelled again, his voice a little hoarse. He called again and again, desperate for the angel to make an appearance. He knew he was busy but surely he could hear Sam's cries for help? Especially as they concerned Rosie.

Sam's shaking hand reached and grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, calling 911 while hugging his little girl close to his chest.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"Someone, I…my daughter needs help," Sam let out a sob, "She's unconscious and she's bleeding. Oh God, she's bleeding. And her arm's broken and-"

"Sir, please calm down. We're tracing your call. What happened to your daughter?" the woman on the line spoke calmly, too calmly for Sam's liking.

"There was a car accident. A car…a car drove into us," the young father broke into sobs, "Please, you have to help her."

"We're despatching an ambulance to you right now, sir. How old is your daughter? Is she breathing?"

"She's…she's six years old," Sam's voice shook, "She's breathing. But her head…"

"Sir, your words are slurring. Did you hit your head?" the woman sounded concerned. Before Sam could answer, he fell unconscious with Rosie in his arms.

He woke up in the ambulance, the pain in his head and leg unbearable. Most of the paramedics were crowded around his daughter.

"Rosie?" Sam said, his feelings of panic beginning to rise, "Rosie?! Is she alright?"

"Try to calm down. There'll be a proper examination at the hospital," the female paramedic tending to Sam's leg spoke quietly, "We're almost there."

"You gotta save her. Please. She's just a kid. _Please!" _the young father had to close his eyes from dizziness.

"We're doing all we can, sir," the paramedic looked at him with gentle eyes but didn't smile. This didn't give him any reassurance.

Rosie was whisked away the moment they arrived, leaving Sam watching helplessly from his gurney. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he heard the paramedics recite a bunch of things to the doctor as Rosie was taken inside. Sam was taken in a different direction.

The young father was too dizzy to concentrate what was happening. He winced as lights were shone in his eyes and he answered any question they gave him, but all he could think about was Rosie. How was she? Was she even alive? Sam didn't care about his injuries, he just needed to be with his little girl, making sure she was safe and sitting beside her in case she wakes up.

He cried out in agony as the doctor felt his leg as gently as possible. His leg was swollen and purple, and Sam cringed at the sight of it. He was sent for an X-ray and drifted in and out of consciousness as he did so, the dizziness not subsiding.

A nurse had hooked him up to an i.v. line as he woke in a hospital room. The pain had subsided, but his worry hadn't.

"Where's…" Sam began, but the nurse was one step ahead.

"Your daughter?" she looked at him sympathetically, "She's been stabilised. But she hit her head pretty bad. They're keeping her under close watch."

"I need to see her," the young father tried to sit up, but he was gently pushed back down.

"You need to rest. You hit your head too. And you only just got out of surgery on your leg. You're not going anywhere," the nurse raised an eyebrow.

"You don't understand. I _need_ to see her. She can't be alone in this place, she'll be terrified on her own. She needs me," Sam wiped tears from his eyes furiously as his voice cracked, "Please."

The nurse looked at him sympathetically, "She hasn't woken up yet. She's in good hands, I promise. You can see her once you've rested, you're in no condition to be going anywhere."

It took a good few hours before Sam managed to persuade the hospital staff to let him see his daughter. He was brought to her room in a wheelchair, still in his hospital gown, and couldn't help but feel a little humiliated. But he was too tired and woozy to get himself dressed, that and he was too proud to let a nurse help him put his clothes on.

Sam's heart broke upon sight of his daughter. She was a small kid, but she looked even smaller in that hospital bed. Rosie had so many wires and tubes on her, i.v. lines, heart monitors. The young father stifled a sob as he was taken to her bedside.

"Call if you need anything," Sam's nurse placed a hand on his shoulder gently before leaving the room.

"Rosie?" the Winchester brother's voice was almost silent, "I'm here."

He reached out and took her hand, stroking her fingers with his thumb, "You keep fighting, you hear me? Fight for me."

Sam's voice caught in his throat, "You're all I have."

He pushed himself up, hissing at the pain in his leg but ignoring it as best he could, planting a kiss on his little girl's forehead. The steady _beep___of her monitor sped up slightly.__

"I think she knows you're here," a small, dark haired nurse said softly as she entered the room. She noticed the pain clouding Sam's eyes and cringed a little at the sight of his leg, pinned and enclosed in a metal frame, "You _really_ shouldn't be putting weight on that. C'mon."

She darted to Sam's side and slowly helped him back into sitting, looking at him with sympathetic concern "If I catch you doing that again I'm sending you back to your room."

"Sorry," Sam muttered, keeping hold of Rosie's hand.

"I get it, okay? I know you're worried. But you've got to take care of yourself too," the nurse brushed down her colourful scrubs and smiled at the concerned father, "My name's Kate. You'll probably see me take care of Rosie a lot so you may as well know."

"Sam," he nodded, looking back at his little girl, "How bad is it?"

"The good news is we couldn't see any damage in her brain scans," Kate looked at Rosie fondly and let out a sigh, "But we won't know for sure until she wakes up."

Sam could only watch his daughter, tears forming in his eyes at the fear she _wouldn't_ wake up. He noticed the Tinkerbell doll on the bedside table and tucked it in beside Rosie. Maybe then she'd feel a little safer.

The Moores showed up the next day and found Sam asleep with his head rested on the bed and his hand still holding Rosie's. He'd since been discharged and had to allow a nurse to help him dress himself, but he hadn't left the hospital. The former hunter sat at his daughter's bedside and didn't leave her side, with no appetite at all.

Sue had already been out of her mind with worry the moment she received the call, but she broke into sobs at the sight of her son-in-law and granddaughter looking so weak. Sam looked so pale, so run down. But Rosie broke her heart. She was just a little girl, how could she have gone through something like this so young?

"Sam?" she knelt beside her son-in-law and gently shook his shoulder as Peter approached the bed. The young father startled and opened his eyes, looking up at Sue fearfully until he realised who she was.

"Sue?" he relaxed a little, sitting up but not letting go of his daughter.

"Oh, sweetheart," Sue pulled Sam into a close hug, stroking his hair and kissing his cheek, "We were so worried about you! I'm so glad you're safe!"

He couldn't say anything, fresh tears spilling over. Even at thirty-three his eyes still possessed the lost puppy look that always won Dean over. His mother-in-law could only pull him close again and make soft hushing sounds as he began to cry.

"None of this is your fault, Sam. It was an accident, we know that," she held Sam at arms' length and wiped his tears as if he were a child, "Rosie will be just fine. She's a strong girl, just like you."

Sue lowered her gaze, "Just like Jess."

Sam nodded silently and looked at his daughter. Peter caught his gaze and nodded to him respectfully. He offered to get him a coffee, but Sam waved his hand a little dismissively.

"Sam, you're exhausted," his father-in-law said in concern, "You should go home, get some sleep."

"I can't," Sam shook his head, "I'm not leaving her."

"We'll stay with her, sweetheart. You need your rest," Sue reached and gently stroked Rosie's hair, "She'll be just fine."

"She needs me here," he stayed put, stroking his daughter's hand.

"You need to look after yourself too. Rosie needs you well," his mother-in-law looked at him almost patronisingly, "Peter will drive you."

"I'm staying here," Sam snapped, causing his in-laws to flinch, "If I go home I'll just be thinking about Rosie and I won't sleep. I'll sleep better here."

Sue sighed in exasperation but said nothing. The young father pushed himself up, leaning heavily on his crutch and wincing a little at the pain.

"I need some air," he muttered, slowly walking out the room.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Sue called after him, but didn't receive a response. She sighed softly and looked at her husband, "He works himself too hard."

Sam finally got outside, not without difficulty, and half-collapsed into a bench. He rubbed at his eyes and tried his best not to break down again. It was times like this he wished his brother were here. Dean would understand, he'd take care of his brother, make sure Rosie was comfortable. Hell, he'd probably read to her, talk to her, that Sam couldn't bring himself to do. Cas could probably heal her, make this all better. But Sam didn't even know where he was.

The lone Winchester pushed himself to his feet to get some water, groaning at the pain in his leg and the small nagging headache beginning to form. It was so quiet outside, even for a back entrance, which he didn't give a second thought to. It had been too long away from the life to be concerned about an empty area. But he wasn't too far from the life to be concerned about the lights beginning to flicker.

Sam dug his hand into every pocket he had but cursed as he found the small bottle of holy water empty. Unless this was a badly timed electrical fault, he was in trouble. He turned to get back inside, unable to quicken his pace without aggravating his broken leg, but collapsed to the floor as he received a huge blow to the back of his head.


	3. Chapter 3

Morning came by and Sam hadn't returned to Rosie's room. Both grandparents had fallen asleep by their granddaughter's bedside, and so hadn't noticed he was missing. When he didn't come back after half an hour, they assumed he'd changed his mind and gone home, despite his bag containing his wallet and phone being right beside them.

Sue woke first and sat beside Rosie, gently stroking her blonde curls and watching her worriedly. She looked more like her mother every day, besides those striking eyes she'd inherited from Sam. Rosie was a pretty girl, she had a glorious smile just like Jess. Sue hated how small she looked in the hospital bed, how scared she must be. The concerned grandmother longed for her to wake, especially for Sam's sake. The last time she'd seen him look so defeated, so broken, was when he left the hospital with his newborn daughter, after having said goodbye to his wife for the last time. His eyes were dull, miserable. Barely any hope in them. Sam had been so devoted to his wife, and now to his daughter. He couldn't lose Rosie. He couldn't lose everything.

She remembered that time too well. Late at night Sam had called his in-laws. Their pregnant daughter had been rushed to hospital after collapsing at home. It broke Sue's heart; she'd seen Jessica the day before and had begged her to see a doctor, she looked so ill. Jess had always been stubborn, and insisted she was just fine despite. They'd got a call from the hospital around a week later; Jessica and Sam's daughter had been born through an emergency C-section and was doing well – the father was bonding with the baby and the mother recovering from surgery. Peter and Sue were relieved that all had gone well. They had a granddaughter, Jessica was going to be such an amazing mother.

But then they arrived at the hospital. No one was smiling when they asked for directions to Jessica Winchester's room. No one was congratulating them on becoming grandparents. It wasn't long before they realised something was wrong. Jessica's doctor approached them, explained there had been complications, that their daughter's heart had given out after surgery. They did all they could, but she couldn't be saved. Sue broke down instantly, unable to fathom that their beautiful daughter, their angel was gone. Peter asked if they could see her, say goodbye, but they were told they had to wait. Jessica's husband and daughter were in there, Sam had been told to take all the time he'd needed. They could see him through the window.

Their son-in-law had laid the newborn on her mother's chest, while he was in near hysterics beside Jessica, clutching at her hand, stroking her hair, burying his head in her shoulder. He knew they were watching, and either he couldn't stand another minute in the room, or he didn't want to keep Sue and Peter waiting, as he stood, lifting the baby into his arms. He leaned and pressed one last kiss to Jessica's forehead, a desperate kiss he didn't want to let go of. Once he let go, she was truly gone. He left the room without a word to his in-laws, holding the baby close to his chest as he continued to quietly cry at the loss of his wife.

She and Peter had regretted how they'd treated Sam after seeing that. They'd been so sceptical of him, so unaccepting and a little cruel. Hell, Peter had even suggested that Sam wasn't fit to be a father, something that had hurt the father-to-be at the time more than they'd expected and had resulted in their daughter refusing to visit them for at least a month. They'd always been so convinced that Sam wasn't _good enough_ for their daughter. He had no family in contact with him, he barely had any money and he was just, well, different. But that moment he'd walked out of that hospital room, heartbroken and lost, they saw the undeniable love he had for their daughter, how much he'd truly cared. They hoped Sam knew how sorry they were, as they'd never explicitly apologised.

Peter couldn't have been more wrong about Sam's parenting. He hadn't had it easy, what with losing his brother when Rosie was a year old and balancing a demanding job with the demands of fatherhood. But he'd done an incredible job. They'd looked after Rosie when they could while Sam worked, helped him out as much as they could. And Rosie was a wonderful little girl, so happy and kind as well as very intelligent. Sam couldn't be prouder of her, and the Moores couldn't be prouder of him for raising her so well.

Thinking about Sam made Sue notice his absence. She was sure he'd said he was only going outside for some air. He'd refused to go home, not wishing to leave his daughter. He'd have at least told them if he was going home, right? Wouldn't he be back by now? She woke Peter, who thankfully hadn't snored all night, shaking his shoulder.

"What is it, what's wrong?" he asked in concern, instantly looking to his granddaughter.

"Sam never came back," Sue said worriedly, "Wouldn't he have called?"

"He probably just went home, honey. He was exhausted, he probably got a cab," Peter tried to reassure her, but then noticed Sam's bag on Rosie's bedside table, "But he wouldn't have got far without his wallet."

"Call his house, go over there and see if he's alright," the grandmother sat beside Rosie again, stroking her hair softly. Peter nodded and left to go to Sam's.

Rosie began to stir not long before Peter returned to the hospital. Sue called for a doctor immediately, staying where she was beside her granddaughter to keep her calm and relaxed.

"Daddy…" the little girl mumbled, her eyelashes fluttering, "Daddy?"

She opened her blue-green eyes and looked up at Sue, in confusion at first. For a split second Sue was afraid her granddaughter's head injury had done more damage than the doctors anticipated, until Rosie leaned closer to her and relaxed.

"Grandma, where's Daddy?" her voice was small and nervous, "What happened?"

Before Sue could answer, Rosie's doctor came to examine the little girl and perform some tests to evaluate if there was any damage. Lights were shone in her eyes, her head gently felt. The doctor asked her some questions, but she got so shy that she wouldn't talk, her face crumpling as she began to cry.

"I want my Daddy," she whimpered, clutching at her grandmother as she hugged her gently.

"Daddy will be back soon, sweetheart," Sue kissed Rosie's cheek gently and stroked her hair. She looked up at the doctor apologetically, "She gets very shy."

The young male doctor knelt beside Rosie's bedside, smiling softly, "Rosie? I know it must be very scary to be here, but I promise I won't take long and then I'll leave you alone. Can I just ask you some questions?"

Rosie looked up at Sue before nodding, cowering into her a little, "Okay."

She stayed silent a while before talking again, "What's your name?"

"I'm Doctor Miller. But my name is Tom," he said calmly.

"My name is Rosie Jessica Winchester," the six-year-old said quietly, "Jessica is my mommy's name."

Sue smiled sadly and ran a hand through Rosie's hair.

"That's a very pretty name," Tom chuckled. He'd seen Rosie's medical records, of course. He knew her mother had died of heart failure not long after Rosie was born, leaving her father to raise her alone. He decided to avoid the subject – he didn't like to intrude, "Now, Rosie, can you tell me what you remember?"

Rosie whimpered and looked up at Sue again, "Me and Daddy were going home because we'd gone to visit Grandma and Grandpa. It was Daddy's birthday and Grandma gave him a big cake. I sleeped in the car home and I woke up here."

The little girl suddenly panicked and let out a sob, "Is Daddy dead?"

She looked from Tom to Sue with wide eyes, "I don't want Daddy to be dead!"

"Hey, hey, no, sweetheart. Your Daddy is just fine. He went home for some sleep but he'll be back soon," Sue hushed her softly, "He's been very worried about you."

"He hurt his leg but otherwise he's just fine, Rosie," Tom reassured her before looking to Sue, "She appears to be unaffected by the hit to her head. We'll keep her in for observation for a day or two just to be sure."

Sue thanked him as he left the room, just as Peter showed up in the doorway, Nathan behind him. Peter's expression was grave, and there was no Sam in sight.

"Sue, a word?" he said quietly, beckoning for his wife to follow him outside. Nathan nodded briefly to his mother before sitting beside Rosie so she wasn't alone. Jessica's younger brother doted on his niece, she was almost the double of Jess and reminded him of her so much. Rosie adored him too, as a toddler she always asked "where unka nath?" and stayed attached to him whenever he was around or babysitting her. He hadn't been great with kids, but he made an exception for Rosie.

"Sam wasn't home," Peter spoke softly, being careful not to let Rosie hear, "His cell and wallet are right here. He's not at home, I even called his work in case he'd gone in."

Sue gasped softly, "He's missing?"

"There's no way we can get hold of him," Peter couldn't hide his concern.

"He's abandoned her, hasn't he? He hasn't been the same since he lost Dean, it all got too much and he's taken off," Sue let out a sob, "I told you we should have-"

"Hey, hey. Stop!" her husband snapped, "You know Sam would never do that. You know how much he loves Rosie," he sighed and shook his head, "We'll get to the bottom of this."

Rosie smiled a little when her uncle entered the room. He was different to her other uncles, but she adored him all the same.

"Uncle Nathy," she whispered, hugging her Tinkerbell doll as she looked up at him, "Where's Daddy?"

"Hey, trouble," Nathan smiled at her softly and sat beside her. Instantly Rosie had crawled onto his knee and buried her face in his chest, "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"He'll be sad because his car's broken," Rosie sniffled, "I want to give him a big hug."

"You can when he gets back," Nathan stroked her back gently, "You're so brave, Rosie."

"No I'm not," the little girl shook her head, "I want to go home."

"You will soon. You just need to get a bit better first," the concerned uncle kissed her forehead and let her hug him, trying to calm her down.

While Peter went to have a conversation with the hospital's security in an attempt to find Sam, Sue returned to Rosie's room.

"We're just calling Daddy to ask him to come back here, sweetie," she said, hoping she was convincing, "He's very tired, we think he's overslept!"

At that moment, Castiel burst through the door, a serious and urgent expression on his face, "Where's Sam? I need to talk to Sam!"

"Uncle Cas!" Rosie instantly looked up and reached for her other uncle. Castiel looked at her briefly but had more pressing matters at hand. Sue glared at the angel for interrupting so rudely. Castiel had been to a couple of the Moore's Sunday dinners along with Sam, mostly so they got to know him considering he was Rosie's honorary uncle. Sue and Peter had liked him, mostly. He was a little odd, but was nice enough. Rosie seemed to adore him.

"Excuse me, Cas. Sam isn't here at the moment, we'd appreciate it if you didn't burst in like that. You'll scare Rosie," Sue scolded, and Castiel stood his ground.

"The last place I tracked- heard from Sam was here, this hospital. But he's not here, I can't trace him. Where is he? What's happening to Sam?"

Rosie whimpered, terrified, "Daddy's missing?!"

"No, no," Sue tried to sound reassuring but was failing miserably by now. Rosie reached for Cas again, clearly trying her best not to cry. The angel came to her at once, sitting on her bed and allowing her to hug him before slowly wrapping his arms around her. He shouldn't be hanging around, particularly if Sam was missing, but he couldn't ignore Rosie. He'd been away for so long, been forced to ignore hers and Sam's prayers. He'd heard Sam's cries for help, it pained him to have to stay where he was, even if what he was doing was for Sam's benefit. But it had all gone wrong, he'd heard the threats on Sam's life. And he'd got to the hospital too late.

Rosie buried her head in the familiar tan trenchcoat and clung to the blue tie, crying. Castiel let out a soft sigh and petted her head, healing her in the process. She'd feel a lot calmer at home in her own bed.

"Where have you been, uncle Cas?" the little girl whispered, "Where's Daddy?"

"I've been very busy, Rosie," the angel murmured, continuing to pet her head despite strange looks from the Moores, "We'll find your father. I have to go soon, you should rest."

"Read me a story?" she looked up at him pleadingly, the puppy eyes in full force. Castiel needed to leave, the longer he spent away from his duties, the higher the risk that he'd find Sam dead or worse. But he couldn't deny those eyes, he never could. A few minutes couldn't hurt, surely?

Rosie chose a storybook from the playroom, and Sue, Peter and Nathan all waited outside while Castiel read the story to her. She slowly drifted to sleep, nestled into his vessel's warmth. Gently Castiel lowered her onto the bed before leaving the room, nodding politely to Sam's in-laws before turning a corner and disappearing. He stopped at both Bobby's and the Roadhouse to alert them of Sam's disappearance, filling them in on everything he knew.

"Does he ever change his clothes?" Peter muttered to his wife, shaking his head a little before they all returned to Rosie's room. When night fell, Sue remained at the hospital with Rosie while her husband and son went home for the night. The grandmother slept on the bed set up originally for Sam, and she couldn't help but think how he should be the one there by his daughter's side. She could only hope he was alright.

Sam was sprawled on the cold, hard floor, hair over his eyes as he began to stir. He'd been out for almost a day now, the last thing he remembered was sitting by Rosie's bedside in the hospital. But he couldn't be in the hospital now, why was he asleep on the floor? The young father slowly opened his eyes, wincing at the throbbing pain in his head. He definitely wasn't in the hospital anymore.

"Rosie?" he mumbled, the room spinning around him so much that he had to squeeze his eyes shut.

Footsteps caused Sam to tense, they were coming closer from behind him. He tried his best to scramble away, to turn to face the owner of the footsteps, but his headache slowed him down, distracted him. Someone was standing over him, he was trapped now.

A steel capped boot collided with Sam's side, causing him to yelp as he was shoved onto his back. There he faced his captor, a face he'd wanted to see for over five years. But he wasn't _him_. Not really. He'd never had black eyes before.

"No," a gasp caught in Sam's throat and he shook his head as tears filled his eyes, "You can't be."

Dean grinned a devilish grin, black eyes glinting briefly before turning their usual green, "Hey, Sammy."


	4. Chapter 4

Dazed and confused, Sam was forced into a chair and shackled to it. He slowly lifted his head, groaning at the throbbing pain, to find Dean standing over him. They were in some rundown apartment, wallpaper torn down, furniture broken.

"Dean," Sam muttered, unsure whether to smile or be afraid. He'd wanted his brother back for five years, missed how great he was with Rosie. Just seeing his face was a relief. But he wasn't Dean, not anymore. His time in Hell had changed him.

"How's it going, Sam?" the demon smirked, looking at his brother pitifully as he attempted to struggle free of his restraints, "Long time, no see."

"Where's…where's Rosie?" Sam choked out the words, crying out as Dean punched him in the face.

"I'll get to her later," Dean spoke sharply, voice menacing and sinister, "First, we need a little catch up, don't you think?"

He grabbed his little brother's hair and pulled it back so Sam was looking at him, "You know how long I was down there, Sammy?"

"Five…five years…" blood dribbled from Sam's nose as he spoke.

"Strike one," Dean yanked at Sam's hair, causing him to gasp in pain, "Time passes differently downstairs, little brother, it was more like 600 years."

"Six hundred…" Sam whispered to himself, "Dean, I…"

"Would still be there, if it weren't for your pal Cas," Dean chuckled, "Broke me out, thinking I'd still be, well, the old me. The little bitch I was. That Dean is long gone, Sammy. At least, let me see, five hundred years since he checked out? Couldn't take the torture, poor thing. So he agreed to _do_ the torturing. The rest, they say, is history."

Tears filled Sam's eyes as he tried his best to stay composed. The thought of his brother going through so much pain was awful to him. He was unsure whether he blamed Dean for breaking or not.

"I mean, you shoulda seen Cas' face, Sam," Dean's hand clamped down on Sam's shoulder, "When he realised how far gone I was, when I told him how I planned to rip your throat out as you watched?"

The younger Winchester shuddered, "You wouldn't."

"Oh, but I would. But not before I take little Rosie, sweet, innocent little Rosie Winchester, and rip her apart. Peel her skin away and burn what's left of her," Dean's smile turned dark, and it ignited within Sam.

"Don't you touch her!" Sam yelled, unable to hide the desperation in his voice, "Don't you go near my daughter!"

"Oh, I shouldn't?" Dean tilted his head in a similar way to Castiel, "She got me into this mess, after all. She's not too old to discipline."

"She didn't do anything," the protective father shook his head, tears in his eyes, "She's just a kid."

"If _she_ hadn't blessed this earth, you would have never gone running after Ruby, and I would never have made that damn deal," Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Do what you want to me," Sam begged, "Just leave her out of this."

The demon rolled his eyes, "How heroic. My heart is bleeding for you. But I guess it makes sense, I know where babies come from, Sammy, and if you hadn't knocked pretty little Jess up, none of this would have happened."

Dean grabbed Sam's broken leg, ripping off the metal frame effortlessly and crushing the bone in his hand. The younger Winchester screamed in agony, feeling lightheaded as his leg felt as if it were exploding.

"Feel that, Sammy?" Dean spoke over Sam's cries of pain, "Imagine that times a thousand."

Sam's other leg was broken, followed by his arms and several ribs, all while Dean spoke, "Every single day, Sam. _Every single day._"

The older Winchester punched his brother in the stomach as he was close to passing out from the pain, "Don't go pussying out on me, brother. I'm not finished with you yet."

Sam was burned, sliced and punched before being thrown to the floor, where he collapsed with a small whimper. He tried to push himself up, but his broken arms buckled, leaving him helpless on the cold, hard, floor.

"All this happened to me, all that torture so you could get your next fix of demon blood," Dean smirked, "Turned yourself into a monster, Sammy. Did whatever the little slut told you. She only wanted you for your abilities, y'know. Nothing more than that."

Sam didn't respond, tears leaking from his eyes as pain gripped his body. He was taken by surprise as his brother pulled him up, regardless of his injuries, and forced Sam to drink the blood pumping from a fresh cut on Dean's arm. The blood trickled down his throat, warm and sticky, as Dean watched with a cold stare. Sam's eyes widened, wretching and choking as he tried to get away.

"What's the matter, Sammy?" Dean's grin was horrifically unhinged as he pressed his cut arm to Sam's mouth, "I thought you liked the rush. Or is it 'cause I'm not Ruby? You had feelings for her, didn't you? Thought she was some nice girl, potentially a stepmother for little Rosie. Imagine your surprise if you'd married the bitch, and come home to your precious little angel with her throat cut."

Sam struggled away desperately and threw up violently onto the floor. He tried so hard to hold back, but let out a feeble sob by accident, "Please, stop. _Please_."

"Aww," Dean grimaced at the blood spattering the floor, "Don't like it anymore?"

The younger man was drifting in and out of consciousness, the pain becoming too much, the bloodloss taking its toll. Sam couldn't move, not without causing unbearable pain to himself. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open.

"Ya still with me, Sammy?" Dean kicked his brother in the ribs, causing him to cry out in pain as he came into contact with the broken bones, "Good. I have a confession to make, you better have your ears on."

Tears spilled over from Sam's eyes and trickled onto the floor. Dean – the real Dean – would have stopped someone from hurting him so severely, damn well near killed them if he had the chance. But _he _was the one doing the hurting, and he seemed to be enjoying it. He wished he could do something, snap Dean out of it, but he knew there was no point. Six hundred years in Hell was enough to twist a human soul, Dean was undoubtedly exposed to hideous things, unimaginable things, he was too far gone to be saved.

"I was disappointed when I saw you and Rosie made it out alive, y'know," Dean paced in front of his brother, smirking at the tears, "Rosie was such a burden to me, Sammy. Ever since I found out she existed, she just, well, frustrated me. As soon as I saw her I knew you were lost, you'd never come back to hunting with a kid in tow. Didn't help that your little wifey bit it after giving birth. I needed you, Sam, needed your help, but you were too busy tending to _that_ to give a damn. All about Rosie, is Rosie fed, is she warm enough, should I start lactating for her? She needed to go. She needed to be out of the way."

"You shut up about Rosie," Sam's voice shook with a combination of rage and weakness, "You loved her, Dean. She loved you."

"And yet I drove that car into yours, just hoping she'd be broken beyond repair. Such a disappointment when she was still breathing," Dean shrugged.

"You did this!" Sam gained strength from somewhere, "You tried to kill her!"

Once again he tried to push himself to his feet, but collapsed back down instantly from the pain that erupted in his injuries. Dean kicked him to the floor with a chuckle.

"I did, I did. I'm just sad I never saw your little broken face as you held the last of your family. Cold. Dead," Dean spoke sharply yet calmly, and it only enraged Sam further.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Sam begged, fighting the images plaguing his mind, "You won't hurt her!"

"I'd love to see you try and stop me, Sammy. You're a little, well, broken right now," Dean smirked, "Not as broken as _she'll_ be."

"Don't you dare. Not my daughter, don't you _dare_," Sam's voice sounded more desperate than anything, forcing himself into sitting.

"Yeah, yeah. Don't hurt Rosie, blah blah blah," Dean chuckled to himself, "I hate to be a killjoy but I've gotta run. Got some errands to run. Don't miss me too much."

Before Sam could so much as move, Dean knocked him out with a sharp kick to the head. The demon stepped over his brother's unconscious body and slipped out of the room.

Peter and Sue had left the hospital to get some clothes for Rosie, who had recovered extremely well and was ready to go home. The six-year-old was asleep when they left, and they were sure she'd sleep through their absence with no issues. She had been spending the day with Nathan and Sue, mostly, watching Disney movies and reading stories to pass the time. It seemed to have successfully distracted her from the fact her father was missing, although she did ask about him before she fell asleep. Sue didn't know what to say, the longer Sam was missing, the less hope she felt about his safe return, but reassured her she was sure he'd be back soon to give her the biggest hug in the world.

Peter had set up their granddaughter's room at their house ready for her to stay at, for her sake they hoped not permanently. Rosie was so attached to her father, they didn't want to see how she would cope with potentially never seeing him again. The police were aware of Sam's disappearance and were doing all they can. All the Moores could do was keep Rosie safe.

While they were packing Rosie's things to take to their house, Sue got a phone call. Rosie's nurse sounded worried, panicked in fact. She had just gone to check on Rosie to find her bed empty, no sign of her anywhere. The nurse asked hopefully if the Moores had taken her home early without permission, but of course they hadn't. Dropping everything, Sue and Peter ran back to their car and drove back to the hospital.

There was nothing on the security cameras. Rosie was there one moment, peacefully asleep, curled up in bed with her Tinkerbell doll. But then after slight disturbance in the tape, she was gone, completely vanished. Only her doll remained. Sue was near hysterics, fearing for the safety of her only granddaughter.

Sam woke a couple hours after Dean knocked him out, his body stiff and painful and his head throbbing. He could barely move without disturbing his injuries and causing himself to hiss in agony. The young father was lying on the hard floor of the apartment, in one of its bedrooms. He guessed Dean hadn't bothered hauling him on the bed, considering it too much hard work.

A small whimper put Sam on red alert. He wasn't alone. Pushing himself up slowly, tears streaming down his face from the pain, the younger Winchester brother sat up, letting out a small gasp at the small figure curled up asleep on the bed.

"Rosie."


	5. Chapter 5

Sam pushed himself up, trying his best not to cry out in pain, just as his daughter began to stir.

"Uncle Cas?" Rosie whimpered, "Grandma?"

"Rosie," Sam choked out, "It's me."

"Daddy?" the six-year-old opened her eyes, "Daddy!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," the young father had tears in his eyes, "It's okay, baby, it's okay."

Rosie whimpered and started to cry, "Daddy, I'm scared."

Sam got himself up onto the bed with great difficulty, his face twisted in agony as he put weight on broken bones, and took his little girl onto his knee.

"Daddy, you're hurt!" Rosie clutched at his shirt desperately, "Where are we?"

"I…" he searched desperately for an answer, "I don't know, sweetheart. But we're going to get out of here."

She buried her head in his chest, and Sam did his best to hold back from moving her. The pressure she was putting on his ribs was reaching unbearable, but he couldn't move her. He needed her to feel safe.

"I'll always protect you," Sam murmured, his voice strained, wincing hard, "Always."

"Well ain't that cute," Dean grinned from the doorway, "You got a great Daddy there, Rosie."

Rosie squeaked at the sound of her name and hid in Sam's chest even more, causing Sam to cry out in pain.

"Careful, kid, you're hurting Daddy," the demon chuckled, "And that's not very nice, is it?"

The six-year-old looked up at her uncle fearfully before burying her head in Sam's chest again. Regardless of the pain, Sam wrapped his arms around her tighter, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her down.

"It's okay, baby," he murmured, "You're safe with me."

"Yeah, sure she is," Dean raised an eyebrow, "Her broken Daddy will protect her, let himself get broken even more. So broken that he can't protect her anymore."

"You shut up," Sam hissed, "You're not gonna touch her."

"Oh, aren't I?" the demon tilted his head animalistically, "Like I said, Sam, you're broken. It's only a matter of time before you break for good."

Dean reached his hand toward his niece, and Sam moved away sharply, yelping in agony, "Get away. Don't you touch her."

"I haven't seen my little niece in, what, five years? And this is what I get?" Dean shook his head with mock sadness, "And when she's so much like me."

"She's _nothing_ like you, not like this!" Sam snapped, continuing to stroke her hair softly, "She's _good_."

"And that's where you're wrong, Sammy," the older Winchester smirked grotesquely, "She's just like me, and its all because of you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sam's voice was shaking, tears blurring his vision as Rosie began to cry in his arms, "Shh, shh, sweetheart. You're alright. I promise, baby. You're okay."

"I want to go home!" the six year old wailed, her voice muffled from hiding in her father's chest, "I want to go home, Daddy!"

"I know," the young father said helplessly, fighting back tears desperately, "I'll get you home soon, Rosie, I promise. We'll get home soon."

"Enough with the family drama!" Dean punched his brother in the face abruptly, causing him to cry out and fall back on the bed, hitting his head on the wall. Rosie screamed, clutching at Sam tightly and keeping her face hidden. She didn't know who this man was, but he was scaring her. And Dean was loving every second.

"You've got demon blood in you, Sam," the demon chuckled menacingly, disappointed at the lack of shock from his brother. Sam remembered being told about the Yellow Eyed Demon's visit to his nursery when he was six months old, back when he'd gone with him and Ruby. It was something that had worried him ever since, but more recently he shoved it to the back of his mind and tried to ignore. It wasn't causing any problems at present, so it lost priority in his thoughts.

"Old news," Sam winced as he pushed himself back up into sitting, leaning heavily against the wall from exhaustion.

"But here's the kicker," Dean came closer to the father and daughter, "When you fucked pretty little Jess, got her knocked up, you passed on your curse to sweet little Rosie."

Sam's chest clenched, and he looked down at his daughter, "No. You're lying."

"She's got Daddy's demon blood running through those veins," Dean traced a line up Rosie's arm before she flinched and cowered away, "And with the right mentoring, the right people, she could be unstoppable. She could have even more power than you."

"You're lying!" Sam cried desperately, wishing with every ounce of strength he had that his brother was trying to mislead him, "She can't…I can't have."

"Well boo-hoo," Dean imitated Sam in a whining voice, "I don't have time for this, Sammy. Yellow Eyes wants her back, he's got work to do and he wants to get started early."

He snatched the six year old from her father's arms effortlessly, kicking Sam back onto the bed as he attempted to get to his feet.

"Daddy!" Rosie screamed, struggling desperately against Dean's grip.

"Don't you dare!" Sam's legs gave way as he got to his feet, leaving him crumpling to the floor at Dean's feet, "Do what you want with me, just leave her alone."

"Daddy don't let him take me," Rosie whimpered desperately, trying to get away from Dean.

"Aww, Sammy. You don't seem to get it, do you?" Dean chuckled, placing Rosie on the floor and smirking as she ran and hid in a corner, "The sooner I rip your throat out, the sooner she comes with me without anyone to stop her."

He grabbed Sam by his collar and hauled him to his feet. He punched his brother in the face repeatedly before grabbing him by the throat and cutting off his airways. Rosie curled into a ball in the corner of the room, too afraid to move or look, crying loudly and drowning out the sounds of her own father gasping desperately for breath. As Sam's vision began to cloud and he started to lose consciousness, however, Dean appeared to get bored and let go, allowing his brother to drop to the floor, gasping. Instead, he brandished a large blade, his eyes turning jet black as he raised it above Sam's chest. The younger Winchester, too exhausted and agonised to move, just closed his eyes tight and waited for it to all be over.

The blade clattered to the ground, dangerously close to Sam's face, and he opened his eyes. His brother was still standing over him, eyes normal but widened in terror.

"No," Dean said desperately, clearly focusing hard on fighting the demon within him, "Sammy."

Rosie ran back to her father and clambered onto his knee once more. The younger Winchester used all his energy to stop himself from crying out from agony due to her weight on his broken bones, but he didn't care. His little girl should never have had to see this, he wanted her to feel just a little safer, even if it meant pain for him. He was barely conscious now, the pain overwhelming him and the blood loss starting to make his head spin.

In an instant, Castiel appeared with Bobby and Ellen in tow. The angel grabbed the demon, who was staring at his hands in disbelief, while Ellen lifted Rosie despite her protests.

"I have to look after Daddy!" Rosie screamed, crying desperately as Sam finally passed out, "Daddy!"

"Sam, Sam!" Bobby slapped his face a little firmly until the young father stirred and opened his eyes, instantly wincing in pain, "Can you walk, son?"

The older hunter attempted to help Sam up, only for him to cry out in pain and fall as his broken legs gave out. He drifted in and out of consciousness, his heart breaking at the sound of his little girl's cries for him.

"Rosie…Rosie 'm here," he mumbled drowsily as he was put on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance Bobby had called.

"I want Daddy!" Rosie cried forlornly as Ellen took her to the car after the ambulance yet.

"I know, kiddo. I know," she put Rosie's seatbelt on and kissed her forehead, "He's gonna be just fine, you hear? Your Dad is so strong, he can get through anything. You'll see him again in no time, just you wait."


	6. Chapter 6

Sam was in a serious condition at the hospital and doctors were doing all they could to prevent him from deteriorating further. On the way to the hospital his lips had started to turn blue and he was struggling to breathe. After being put on oxygen and whisked away the moment he arrived at the hospital, the doctors discovered his broken ribs had punctured a lung and had been dangerously close to damaging major blood vessels. His throat was bruised and his airways had swollen from being choked, further hindering his ability to breathe. Bobby waited impatiently, pacing back and forth and calling Ellen to take Rosie home if she was given the all clear from the hospital. Sam's injuries were serious, it seemed, and he wasn't sure how long it would take for him to wake up. _If _he woke up. He'd heard "internal bleeding", "collapsed lung" and other distressing words being thrown around, even the risk of heart attack. Sam was so young, so healthy, no way could he have a _heart attack_? The older hunter didn't know, not like he was some medical expert.

Rosie had fallen asleep in the car, completely exhausted from the events of the day. Ellen was glad, she hadn't known what to say to her, just as she hadn't known how to tell Jo that her father wasn't coming home ever again when she was so young. Rosie reminded her of Jo quite a bit. Both so smart and curious, both complete Daddy's girls. Ellen just hoped Rosie would never be exposed to the hunting life like Jo was.

Ellen took Rosie home for the night so she could rest before taking her to the hospital to be examined in the morning. She took the six-year-old upstairs to her room and tucked her in bed, kissing her forehead and hoping she slept through the night without a problem. The older mother went back to the living room, sitting and just holding her cell, hoping for a phone call.

At three in the morning, Ellen got a call from Bobby.

"How is he?" she asked instantly.

"He's alright, for now. Was a bit touch 'nd go for a while. Collapsed lung, internal bleeding everywhere, hell, they thought his ticker was gonna give out. He's strapped up, metal frames in his legs and arms, bandages on his ribs and his head. He's not gonna be in good shape for a while, they're sayin'. A lot of bedrest, no drivin'," Bobby scratched his beard, "He's gonna need help with Rosie, that's for sure."

"I can stay with him. Or his in laws can help him out but I'm not sure how he'll feel about that," Ellen smirked, "What matters is he's safe, and he's getting the care he needs right now."

"Well, he's not outta the woods yet," Bobby sighed, "His vitals aren't what they should be yet."

"When d'ya think Rosie can see him? I've gotta take her to the hospital to be checked out tomorrow."

"Not yet, that's for sure. He's not conscious, they don't know when he will be. It'll scare Rosie seeing him in this way, his breathing doesn't sound right, he's completely battered. She doesn't need to see that," the older hunter shook his head, "How's she holdin' up?"

"She's asleep. Went out like a light on the drive," Ellen ran a hand through her hair, then noticed Rosie in the doorway hugging her Ariel doll, "Hey, sweetie. Are you alright?"

"I'll leave you to it," Bobby nodded.

"Yeah, let me know if anything changes," Ellen said quietly before putting the phone down. Rosie ran to her Aunt and hugged her tight.

"I want Daddy," she sniffled, "He's hurt."

"I know, Rosie. The doctors are making him better, alright? He's gonna be just fine, I promise," Ellen lifted the six-year-old onto her knee and kissed her forehead, "He'll want you to be brave, right?"

"Why did he hurt Daddy?" Rosie cowered into her as if Dean would show up right that moment, "What did Daddy do wrong?"

"He did nothing wrong, sweetheart. Dean, uh, that man…he…" Ellen struggled to find the words, "He's a bad man, Rosie."

"When can I see Daddy?" the little girl asked quietly.

"When he's woken up. He's getting a lot of sleep right now to make sure he gets better. He'll wake up when he's ready," Ellen stroked her hair, standing up with her in her arms, "C'mon you need to sleep too."

"I want Daddy to read me a story," Rosie sniffled.

"I know, sweetheart. But Daddy can't be here right now," Ellen took her upstairs to her room, laying her down in bed and tucking the covers over her, "I'll read you a story if you want?"

Rosie was hesitant but accepted, and eventually fell asleep while her aunt read to her.

Sam woke up in the evening of the next day. He was exhausted, drained emotionally and physically, but was talking all the same. He was in agony, and so was given the maximum safe amount of painkillers. His breathing was improving, sometimes he got a little breathless but otherwise he managed. When he slept, he was put on oxygen.

Rosie had been checked out and was found to be unharmed. They told the cops she'd run away from the hospital to find Sam, but had got lost and luckily Ellen had found her when she drove past. As far as the cops knew, Sam was attacked in the street and Bobby found him, but didn't see the attacker who had run away the moment he was caught.

The moment Sam was conscious, he started asking for Rosie. His memory of the events was seemingly patchy, and he was afraid that something had happened to his daughter.

"Rosie?" he mumbled, a little disoriented from the level of pain medication in him.

"She's at home with Ellen, son. She's fine," Bobby reassured him, "Worried sick about you."

"Bring…" Sam's voice was a weak croak, "Bring her here."

"You're exhausted, Sam. You need to rest," the older hunter looked at his surrogate son in concern.

"Please," a tear trickled down Sam's cheek, looking up at him pleadingly. Bobby sighed and took out his cell phone.

"I'll call Ellen," he said, gently patting Sam's shoulder and leaving the room to make the call.

Rosie and Ellen arrived at the hospital within the hour, and Rosie said she wanted to see Sam on her own. Ellen and Bobby were unsure, but after some persuasion allowed her to do so. Sam and Rosie needed to see each other.

Sam's bed was propped up so he could sit up with minimal effort. He was still in pain, just dulled from the medication, and a little out of it, but he smiled at the sight of his little girl.

"Hey, baby girl," his throat sounded painful as he spoke.

"Daddy!" Rosie ran and clambered onto the chair beside the bed, starting to cry, "You're hurt."

"Hey, hey, I'm fine, I promise," Sam said quietly, though his appearance said otherwise. He reached out his hand to her and Rosie instantly took it, hugging it to her chest while being hyperaware of his injuries.

"Why did he hurt you so bad?" Rosie whispered fearfully, "Is this hurting you now?"

"No, no, sweetheart," Sam reassured her, "You're not hurting me."

He sighed and failed to hold back tears, "He's…I don't know, Rosie."

"Don't cry, Daddy," Rosie sniffled, starting to cry all over again, "Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry, baby," he let out a sob, "I was so scared he was going to hurt you."

"But he didn't! I'm okay, the doctor said so!" Rosie kept hugging his hand, sniffling.

"C'mere," he beckoned her closer as best he could. He wished he could lift her but he didn't have the strength. Rosie climbed up onto the bed and curled up into his side. Sam put his arm around her carefully, wincing as she accidentally nudged one of his ribs.

The father and daughter both fell asleep, still exhausted from everything. Rosie was huddled close to him with her face buried in his side, with Sam's arm around her and his hand on her back.

Sue and Peter arrived at the hospital, relieved that their son-in-law and granddaughter were safe, just after the pair both woke up. The nurse brought in some food for Sam, soft, cold food that his throat could cope with, and asked Rosie what she'd like. After some encouragement from her father, she quietly asked for a cheese sandwich and clung to Sam again.

Sue was already crying when she got into their room. Sam was feeding himself, with difficulty but he was too stubborn to let anyone help him, and Rosie was quietly eating her sandwich beside him.

"I'm so glad you're both safe!" Sue cried, going to hug Sam but being pulled back by her husband.

"You'll hurt him," Peter said quietly as Sam slowly put his bowl on the bedside table.

"I'm okay," Sam croaked, breathing a little heavier as he began to feel a little breathless.

"Well, once you're able to leave the hospital, you're staying with us. You can have the downstairs guest room, Sam. And we'll take care of everything for you," Sue sat beside the bed and held out her arms to Rosie, who shook her head and stayed close to Sam.

"No, really, I…" Sam stopped talking and focused on _breathing_.

"Sam, you're not going to be able to walk, let alone drive. You can't work in this condition, you can't look after Rosie properly. You're both staying with us until you're completely better. I can take Rosie to school and to ballet, we can look after her when you need to rest," Sue sighed, "And you're not going to be able to go to the bathroom and-"

"I get it," Sam leaned back on his pillow with a sigh. No way was she helping him use the bathroom and take a bath.

"It's alright, I have a son, I've seen everything before," Sue tried to sound reassuring, but it was only making Sam more uncomfortable.

"We came to take Rosie with us. She can stay with us until you can join us. We'll take her to school tomorrow," Peter said a little firmly.

"I want to stay with Daddy," Rosie clutched at Sam's hand, "I don't want to go to school."

"Sweetie, you have to go to school," Sue stroked her hair, "Daddy needs to stay here and get better."

"She doesn't have to go anywhere," Sam interrupted, coughing quietly and wincing, "She can stay with me if she wants to. For a couple days at least."

"But Sam-" Sue began.

"No, after what she's been through she needs time out," Sam coughed harder, "She…stays here."

"Daddy," Rosie looked at her father fearfully and cuddled close to him, pulling the bed covers further up his chest and tucking him in, "Don't talk too much, Daddy. It hurts you."

Sam smiled a little at how like Jess she sounded. Whenever he got sick she'd forcibly tuck him up in bed and firmly instruct him to rest. Even Rosie's concerned expression was the double of her mother's. Even Sue and Peter smiled.

"Alright," Sue nodded, "Just call if you need anything. We'll come back tomorrow."

She kissed both Sam and Rosie's foreheads, "Take care."

Sam looked over at his daughter and raised an eyebrow jokingly after they'd left. Rosie giggled quietly and laid down beside him.

"She just wants you to be okay, Daddy," she said quietly, holding his hand.

"I know, baby," Sam winced a little but stayed where he was.

"Can I read you a story? You always read to me when I'm sick," Rosie asked hopefully.

After a nurse took her to find a story for her to read to him, Rosie cuddled up beside her father and began to read to him. It was a picture book of Lilo and Stitch, one of their favourite Disney movies, and slowly Sam began to fall asleep. Once she'd finished reading, Rosie found him peacefully asleep. Ellen and Bobby came to check on them, and Ellen asked if she wanted to go home for the night. Bobby promised that Sam would be just fine, and that he'd keep an eye on him for her, but she politely declined and instead asked if she could have her pyjamas and stuffed animal so she could stay by Sam's side instead. It wasn't ideal, the hospital staff tried to persuade Rosie to go home, but she was stubborn like her father. Eventually, a small camp bed was brought into Sam's room and Bobby drove to pick up Rosie's things.

Ellen slept in the hospital waiting room while Bobby stayed at Sam's for the night. They didn't think leaving a six year old on her own with only her injured father was the best idea.

In the early hours of the morning, Rosie woke from a nightmare and quickly climbed onto Sam's bed. The pain meds knocked him out, but he woke up from the disturbance.

"Rosie?" he mumbled drowsily as his daughter curled up into him and buried her face in his hospital gown.

"The man…the bad man, he was in my dream," Rosie sniffled, "He hurt you and uncle Cas and tried to take me away."

"Hey, hey," Sam hushed her softly as she began to cry, "That's not going to happen."

He carefully pulled her close with his arm, holding her gently, "I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."

Even he wasn't so sure about that now. Dean was right. He could throw himself in front of his daughter all he wanted, beg to take all the pain and torture to save her from getting it herself, but it only made her more vulnerable. Could he really protect his little girl from harm? He didn't even know anymore. Nervous and afraid, Sam hugged Rosie close and tried to get back to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Sam was allowed home after his condition improved, although he was under strict orders to rest. He wasn't allowed to go back to work until his doctor deemed him well enough. Rosie reluctantly went to school, but insisted she stayed by Sam's side every out-of-school hour. She slept in the hospital the entire time. Sam ordered in pizza on occasion to treat her, and she made sure he was comfortable. She'd got reasonably more confident during Sam's time in the hospital, asking for a TV in Sam's room so they could watch a movie, she'd even ask if he could have more pain medications if he wasn't feeling too great. She voluntarily became his little helper despite Sam telling her he could manage. She wouldn't hear of it.

When he came home, he'd often wake up to find her curled up in his bed, just making sure he was okay. Ellen and Bobby had to go and help Cas with figuring out what to do with Dean, leaving Sam and Rosie no choice but to allow Sue and Peter to help out. Speaking of Cas, he briefly dropped by to see Rosie and Sam and how they were doing. He wanted to heal Sam but he wouldn't let him – it would only cause suspicion, plus he was going to be okay. He could hold out until he was better. On Sam's request, however, Cas did alter Rosie's memory. He hated that she witnessed him getting so hurt, that she saw Dean be so cruel. She was plagued with nightmares about Dean, she was terrified he'd come back. So instead Cas modified everything. As far as Rosie, and the cops, were concerned, Sam hadn't come back to the hospital because he was violently mugged, and Rosie had escaped the hospital because she missed him and wanted to go home. They bought it, of course. When Sam was asked who attacked him, he simply said he never saw their face, and the hit to his head meant he couldn't remember them.

The first weekend of Sam being home, he woke up to find Rosie clutching at him, fast asleep. He pushed himself up into sitting, lifting her carefully onto his knee. One of his arms hadn't been injured so severely, and so it had healed up in no time. His other arm wasn't so fortunate. Both his legs were still in a bad way, one fixed up in a cast and a metal frame, the other strong enough to be walked on. Sue told him to sleep in the downstairs guest room, so he didn't have to struggle up and down the stairs, but he refused. If he was downstairs all the time, he couldn't read Rosie her bedtime story, or help her get ready for bed, even though she was insistent on doing that herself now.

"Daddy?" Rosie mumbled sleepily.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he smiled softly, kissing her forehead, "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah. I didn't want you to be lonely on your own so I thought I'd sleep in your bed," she said, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Well, thank you. That's very considerate of you," Sam chuckled, knowing full well she just didn't want to sleep in her own bed right now. He was too soft on her, but right now he didn't care. She might not remember what she saw, but he did, and he just wanted to make it up to her. He'd promised since she was born that he'd never let anything happen to her, and it did. Dean could have killed her if given the chance. And he would have been too broken to stop him.

"What are we going to do today?" she looked up at him, her hair a blonde mess of curls.

"Whatever you want," Sam shifted to get out of bed, "I'm a little tired today."

Rosie carefully clambered from his knee and retrieved his crutches for him. They were close enough for him to reach, but she was going way out of her way to help him out.

"I'll make breakfast!" Rosie announced, running ahead to the kitchen, "I'll make waffles!"

"We don't have any waffles," Sam smirked, "We need to go to the store."

"Pancakes?" the little girl looked hopefully.

"Sorry, sweetie," he sighed, "Guess I've not been keeping up with stuff well lately."

"It's okay, Daddy, don't be sad," Rosie looked in the cupboards, "We can have…toast?"

"How about we get dressed and go out for pancakes and waffles?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Chocolate sauce, strawberries, strawberry sauce…"

"Yeah! That's the best idea!" the six year old raced upstairs in a shot. The young father shook his head in amusement and went to get dressed himself before his daughter could insist she helped. He tamed Rosie's curls and tied them into pigtails, then they set off for breakfast. Being unable to drive, Sam was forced to take the bus, and they went into the city to a small place he and Jess visited a couple times. He ordered way more than the both of them could finish together and spent way more than he should. He didn't particularly like the sugar overload he was allowing his daughter, but he was being overly permissive recently. He just wanted to make everything okay again.

They had a large stack of pancakes and waffles and enough chocolate sauce and whipped cream to last them a week at least, along with some fresh fruit, and some bacon for good measure. Rosie found it hilarious, that they were almost having a dessert for breakfast and having a huge feast at that, and Sam took a photo of his tiny little girl sitting in front of it all. Just seeing the excitement on her face relieved him, he couldn't stop picturing her terror when they were with Dean. He had to replace all that, make her smile so he could remember that instead of her fear.

The pair did their best but got nowhere near finishing their feast, and were about to leave when Sam checked his phone to find several missed calls.

"What the?" he muttered to himself, finding them all to be from Sue. He looked up at his daughter's confused expression briefly, "Grandma's been calling."

"Sam! Where on earth have you and Rosie been?" she scolded the moment he picked up, as if he were a teenager, "I get over here to find you both gone!"

"Hey, relax, we went out for breakfast," he rolled his eyes, "Hadn't got much in."

"Out? You went out? Where? How?" his mother-in-law demanded.

"In the city, we took the bus," Sam rand a hand through his hair, "Am I not allowed to take my own kid out now?"

"You took the bus in your condition?!" Sue sounded horrified, Sam had to stop himself from laughing.

"Yeah, and I survived," he made a face at Rosie, which made her giggle, "We were just about to head back."

"Stay there, I'm picking you up. I got you some groceries, though there's plenty of food here, I don't know why you saw fit to go out for breakfast," Sue sighed, "Tell me the address, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Sam reluctantly waited with Rosie to be picked up, ordering another coffee and a lemonade. By the time Sue arrived, Rosie was on his knee, eating a bit of leftover pancake with her hands.

"What is all this?" she pointed to the remaining waffles and pancakes.

"Breakfast!" Rosie grinned, throwing her arms around Sam's neck a little too enthusiastically. Sam grunted in pain, carefully hugging her back.

"Rosie, sweetheart, you shouldn't be sitting on Daddy, you'll hurt him," Sue sighed, "Come on, let's get you home. Are you going to take this food home or will you let it go to waste?"

"We can get it bagged," Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, we're fine."

"You're not fine, Sam. You're injured, you need to rest!" his mother-in-law shook her head.

"It was one little trip, I just wanted to treat Rosie, it's really not a big deal," the young father helped Rosie get off his knee and slowly got up.

"You know the doctor told you not to over-exert yourself. Your lungs are still healing. You have to think about Rosie, she needs you healthy!" Sue took Rosie's hand, and Sam paid for the food and got the leftovers bagged. They'd probably be gross by the time they got home, but he didn't want another lecture.

"Thank you for the best breakfast ever, Daddy," Rosie smiled at him as he slowly got himself into the car.

"You're very welcome, young lady," Sam chuckled, leaning back in his seat, "We'll come back another time, right?"

"Yeah, get even more pancakes!" Rosie squealed, "Though you make the best pancakes and waffles."

"I'm glad you think so," Sam winked, yawning as discreetly as he could.

"You're going back to bed when we get back, young man," Sue looked back at him.

"What am I, five?" Sam muttered, and Rosie giggled quietly.

They got back home and Sam went to the couch to sit down. Sue tried to get him to go to bed, but he refused, no matter how much she tried to persuade him. Annoyed at his stubbornness, she gave in and went to clean the house. Rosie decided to help out, dusting and washing the dishes before getting bored and going to Sam to make sure he was alright.

"You're very good for helping out grandma," he pulled her into a hug, "I'm sorry I'm not much fun recently."

"Daddy you're still fun!" Rosie pouted, standing up on the couch to wrap her arms around his neck, "It's not your fault you got hurt."

Sam smiled to himself and held her close, running a hand through her hair.

"I just want you to get better," the six-year-old rested her head on Sam's, playing with his hair, "And I want Uncle Cas to come see us again."

"Uncle Cas is very busy, sweetheart," Sam sighed.

"He's busy all the time," Rosie pouted.

"He's got a very demanding job. He'd visit us more if he could, I promise," Sam looked up at her, "You're being so brave, you know that?"

"I just gotta be good so you can get better quicker!" Rosie ruffled his hair, making him laugh.

"What would I do without you?" he squeezed her gently, "Go pick out a movie. I'll make up some popcorn."

"But Grandma said-"

"I don't care," Sam chuckled, "Go on."

Sue finished the housework to find his son-in-law and granddaughter on the couch, both eating popcorn, watching the Princess and the Frog perfectly happily. Rosie was on Sam's knee, and Sue was about to tell her to get off him before she stopped herself. Sam clearly didn't mind, he was just enjoying time with his daughter, and he didn't appear to be in any pain. They didn't need the moment ruined with her scolding.

"Alright, everything's done. I'll leave you to it," she said quietly, and Rosie paused the movie to reach for a hug.

"Thank you, Grandma!" she smiled, looking painfully like Jess at that age. Sue hugged her close and kissed her forehead.

"Take good care of your Daddy, alright?" she said, looking to Sam, "I'll be back tomorrow to see how you're doing. Take it easy."

"I will, don't you worry about that," Sam chuckled, "I won't go on anymore adventures to get pancakes."

Sue patted his shoulder gently, "You know I only want what's best for you," she said softly, and he nodded.

"I know. Thank you, for everything," he pulled his little girl close, "Really."

"You're welcome," she nodded to him with a smile and went to leave. Sam and Rosie settled back down and carried on watching the movie, letting Sam get some well-earned rest.

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and I'll update as soon as possible!**


	8. Chapter 8

After a few weeks of resting, and his mother-in-law and daughter taking good care of him, Sam was finally ready to go to work. His leg was still strapped up and he needed to use a crutch, but otherwise he was eager to get back to work. Staying at home, unable to drive or move around too much was becoming tedious, and pretty lonely while Rosie was at school and Sue didn't visit. He tried to keep himself busy, but he always found himself preoccupied. Cas hadn't contacted him since he'd visited in the hospital, he only occasionally heard from Bobby or the Harvelles. They were struggling with Dean, nothing was working. They couldn't exorcise him, because the demon in Dean _was_ Dean. He wasn't possessed. They didn't call because there was nothing to tell. He was still black-eyed, still vowing to murder his brother and niece in the most gruesome ways possible. But Dean sometimes slipped through – the Dean everyone knew. Not often, but for all they knew, it was just an act. Either way, Sam couldn't shake the memories of his brother breaking his bones, forcing his blood down his throat, snatching Rosie from his arms. They kept him up at night. Did he really want to see his brother again?

Rosie came into Sam's room during the night, just hours before Sam had to get up and ready for work. She had a day off from school and thanks to no one being available, she was going to have to go to work with her father.

"Daddy?" she whispered, clambering into his bed.

Sam groaned quietly, he'd been struggling to sleep but was finally starting to doze off, "What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nightmare," Rosie whimpered, pulling the covers over her head.

"Oh, baby," Sam sighed, "It wasn't real…go back to bed, okay?"

"But…But I'm scared," Rosie clutched at his arm.

"You're a brave girl," Sam mumbled tiredly, "You're nearly seven."

He didn't realise how snappy he sounded, he was just desperate for a good night's sleep. But then Rosie burst into tears.

"But the bad man wanted to hurt me. And another bad man," she cried, "They wanted to hurt you too."

"C'mere," Sam sighed, he was wide awake now anyway. He sat up and pulled his daughter close, "They can't hurt you, okay? Remember what I told you, sweetheart? About nightmares."

"My brain just makes them up and they're not real," Rosie rested her head on Sam's chest, "The yellow-eyed man has a friend now. He said his name is Dean. Isn't your brother called Dean?"

Sam shuddered lightly. That was a little too vivid a dream for his daughter to be having, particularly after Cas altered her memory, "Yes…y-yes he is. But it was just a silly dream. Don't worry about it, okay? I'm here, I'll keep you safe."

He stroked her hair gently and kissed her head, "Let's get some sleep, alright?"

Rosie sniffled and buried her face in his chest, "Do I have to go back to my bed?"

She crawled from his knee, but Sam sighed and laid back down, "You don't have to."

"I promise I'll stay in my bed next time," she mumbled, curling up beside him.

Sam woke up the next morning feeling exhausted, his daughter attached to his arm.

"Good morning," he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

"Is it school today?" Rosie yawned, looking up at him with a sleepy smile, "Your hair is messy."

"It does that," Sam chuckled, finger combing his hair back, "No school today, sweetie."

"Am I going to Grandma's? Or Uncle Nathy?" Rosie smiled, "Or Uncle Cas?"

"Sadly not. You'll have to come to work with me, is that okay?" Sam ruffled her hair.

"Hey!" Rosie pouted, "Now _my_ hair is messy!"

"Oh no," Sam gasped dramatically, "It's a complete bird's nest!"

"Is it?" Rosie widened her eyes.

"Yup," Sam grinned.

"Daddy!" the six-year-old folded her arms, "That's rude!"

"I'm just teasing," Sam smirked, "You got your mom's hair. I swear her hair _never_ got messy."

Rosie bounded over to the mirror and inspected her hair, "I think I have some of your hair, Daddy. Because its very messy."

Sam laughed, "Well, I'm so sorry. Go on, get dressed. You've gotta look smart to go to work with me, right?"

The little girl ran to her room and returned wearing her favourite Star Wars shirt and a bright skirt that didn't match. Sam shook his head in amusement and took her to get changed.

"If you're wearing your Leia shirt, maybe your Star Wars skirt will go better, huh?"

"Will it look smart?" Rosie asked hopefully.

"Very smart. You'll look even smarter than me," Sam found her skirt for her and left her to get changed.

"Daddy?" Rosie called, "Can we watch Star Wars when we go home?"

"I don't see why not," Sam chuckled, it was the third time this week already. She'd stayed with her uncle for a few days, to give Sam some rest, and he'd introduced her to the movies. She hadn't stopped talking about it since. Her Uncle had bought her some Star Wars clothing after realising how much she loved it, "But which one?"

"Kylo Ren?" Rosie said shyly.

"Of course," Sam said to himself, "You know Kylo is the bad guy?"

"No! He's nice really!" Rosie gasped in horror, "He's nice!"

"So nice that he killed his Dad?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Should I be worried?"

"Don't be silly, Daddy," Rosie reached and hugged him, "You're a good Daddy."

"Well, thank you very much," Sam patted her back, "I'm sure you won't fall to the dark side."

He sat her on his knee, "Which princess hair are we having today?"

"Elsa!" Rosie squealed, "You're magic at making my hair pretty, Daddy."

"Just a lot of practice," he French-braided her hair, placing little snowflake clips in the braid without her knowing, "All done, Elsa."

"Yay!" Rosie ran to look in the mirror, gasping, "Daddy I have snow in my hair!"

"You must have ice powers just like Elsa," Sam grinned, "Go on, I'll make a start on breakfast."

The pair headed to work, Rosie's Ariel backpack full of books and her drawing pad. She skipped alongside her father, clutching at his hand. She'd spent time at his work often, there had been several times Sam hadn't been able to arrange childcare, and she liked it there. She liked the secretary, who had since left, who she often sat with when Sam was in a meeting.

"Will I see the nice lady?" she asked hopefully as they into the elevator.

"No, sweetie, she doesn't work here anymore. Remember? She gave me that princess book to give to you to say goodbye," Sam squeezed her hand, "Our new secretary is nice too, though. You'll like her."

"Good morning," Madison, the new secretary, greeted Sam. She smiled at Rosie, "Long time no see. Looks like you got a little assistant today."

"I do," Sam chuckled as Rosie hid behind his hand shyly, "This is my daughter, Rosie. No school today and no one was free to take her."

"Hi, Rosie! I've heard a lot about you. Your Dad talks about you all the time," Madison said, and Rosie smiled at her.

"This is Madison, sweetie. She's the new secretary," Sam looked at his daughter, "Are you gonna say hi?"

"Hello," Rosie said quietly, "Does Daddy work hard?"

"He works very hard," Madison laughed, "You've got a couple meetings today, Sam. I don't know if Rosie…"

"No, no, I know. When Jane used to work here, Rosie would go sit with her…so if it's okay?" Sam gestured towards Rosie.

"Of course! I'll try and keep her entertained," Madison picked up some paperwork, "Hey, Rosie? Will you take this to your Dad's office for me?"

"Yeah!" Rosie grabbed them excitedly and ran ahead to Sam's office, still clutching at his hand. Sam stumbled behind her, laughing.

"Guess I'd better get to work," he chuckled, "Thanks."

They got into his office and Sam pulled up a chair for her.

"I got a lot of paperwork to do, alright?" Sam kissed her head, "So I've gotta work hard for a little bit."

"Yes you do. Work _really_ hard," Rosie grinned at him, "Work really really really hard."

"Yes ma'am," Sam laughed, "Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

He spent a couple hours getting through his paperwork while Rosie read quietly beside him. It didn't seem that long ago since he had an infant beside him, which was a much tougher job. At least now Rosie knew to be quiet and to let him work, but an eighteen month old didn't. She had to be with him in any meetings, and when he saw clients, otherwise she'd make a fuss. His boss wasn't particularly impressed, but he knew sometimes he had no other choice. One client was extremely understanding to the point she wouldn't discuss anything with Sam until he had his restless toddler on his knee. It was definitely unusual, but he appreciated it. Rosie had been making a fuss often that day, and he didn't blame her.

He got up to get himself a coffee after a few hours of work. Rosie was perfectly happy sat in his office for a couple minutes, and he went to go get her a juice box and a cookie.

"Hey, Sam?" Madison got up from her desk. Sam winced a little, his bad leg starting to ache, but turned to face her, "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sam smiled at her, "Why?"

"You haven't been here for weeks, someone said you had a car accident, someone else said you were _attacked_," Madison looked concerned, "And now you're back walking with a crutch and with your kid."

Sam sighed, and the secretary offered him her seat for a moment, "There was a car accident. On my birthday of all days. Rosie was hurt more than I was, I mean at the time they were unsure if she'd pull through."

He shuddered lightly and wiped his eyes, "But she was alright. Then she…I…I got attacked. Badly attacked. And because I never came back to the hospital, Rosie ran away, tried to get home on her own…god, it was a mess."

"Oh, Sam," Madison put her hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine. It's all fine now. Rosie's been a little clingy but I can't blame her. I've just been doing all I can to make her feel better," Sam shrugged, running a hand through his hair, "She's with me today because no one was free to look after her, that's all. She's used to coming to work with me, she's done it since she was a baby. She's a good kid. At least she doesn't cry until I'm cuddling her during a meeting anymore."

"Oh bless her, I bet she loves going to work with Mommy and Daddy," Madison smiled sympathetically, "If you ever need a babysitter, just let me know, okay? If there's anything I can do to help…"

"Thank you," Sam nodded, "I'll keep that in mind. I should get back to my little monkey before she starts doodling on my paperwork and sending emails."

"Good plan," Madison giggled, helping Sam to his feet. He took a trip to the cafeteria to get Rosie her snacks, then made his way back to her. Rosie was sat on Sam's chair, looking at all his photos. She looked up at him and beamed, reaching for him. Sam scooped her up and sat her on his knee.

"You've got lots of pictures," she said matter-of-factly, studying each photo for a few seconds.

"I do," Sam bounced her on his good knee, opening the juice box for her, "They remind me I've gotta work hard. If I work hard then we have money for food and our house and fun stuff."

"I think you work the best here, Daddy. They should give you _all_ the money," Rosie grinned.

"That's not very fair on everyone else, is it?" Sam chuckled, "I can't have all the money or everyone else can't buy food."

"I guess," Rosie shrugged, picking up a photo of her parents on their wedding day.

"Mommy's pretty," she said quietly, looking up at him.

"She is," Sam kissed her head, unsure what else to say.

"You look different. Your hair is _all_ brown! Not brown and silver!" Rosie gasped at the revelation.

"Well, yeah. I'm getting old, my hair's starting to go grey," Sam chuckled.

"How old are you? Older than dinosaurs?"

"No I'm not, thank you very much," Sam laughed, "I'm thirty-four."

"I'm six!" Rosie announced a little loudly, "I'll be seven in August! That's not far away!"

"I know you are. I was there when you were born," Sam booped her nose, "You're growing up too fast, little lady."

"Sorry!" Rosie giggled, "Am I going to be as tall as you?"

"Maybe. We'll have to see," Sam kissed her head with a smile, "I want you to stay little."

"But I gotta grow bigger, Daddy," Rosie mumbled, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her head in his shoulder. Sam rubbed her back gently and gave her a gentle squeeze, making her laugh, "Don't squeeze me!"

She sat back on his knee properly and rested her head on his shoulder, "Is Mommy happy in heaven?"

"I think so," Sam smiled at her, "I hope so. Heaven's meant to be, well, heaven. Its meant to be a good place."

"I guess so. I hope she's smiling," Rosie said quietly, but something caught her eye. Her voice turned afraid, "Daddy…Daddy…"

"Sweetie? What's wrong?" Sam frowned, looking at her in concern.

"That's…that's the bad man in my dream," Rosie whimpered, pointing at the only photo of Dean that Sam had on his desk, the photo of him and Rosie when she was just a few weeks old, "Why do you have a picture of him like that?"

"That's…that's your uncle Dean, sweetie. That's you he's holding," Sam stroked her hair, "He's not a bad man, Rosie, I promise. He's my big brother."

"He wanted to hurt you in my dream," Rosie looked up at him with wide eyes, "And me."

"Well, he's not going to. And he'd never want to hurt you, sweetheart. He's…he's in heaven too. He loved you. He used to visit you all the time when you were a baby. He loved you so much," Sam kissed her head.

"He did?" Rosie nestled close to him.

"He did," Sam smiled at her, "He helped me out a lot when I missed your mom. He looked after you when I was sad."

Rosie didn't say anything, she just stood up on his seat and hugged him.

"I'd better go back to work," Sam rubbed her back gently, lifting her and placing her back on her seat."

"I'm gonna write," she told him, "Can I have a pen?"

"Of course you can," Sam chuckled, handing one over to her, "What are you gonna write?"

"You'll see," Rosie smiled secretively, "Get back to work!"

"Yes, ma'am," Sam laughed, taking his paperwork from the side.

Rosie went and sat with Madison while Sam had to go to a meeting, spinning on her desk chair and giggling excitedly. The six-year-old brought all her books with her

"Have you had fun today?" the secretary asked as the six-year-old did some drawing in her drawing book.

"Yeah, me and Daddy looked at his pictures," Rosie said, colouring a drawing of Elsa, "Can I show you?"

"I don't see why not," Madison got up from her desk, "I've got to take some stuff to his office anyway."

Rosie skipped to her father's office, clambering up onto his chair, "Look!"

"Oh wow, that's a lot," Madison smiled, "Lots of pictures of you."

"There's me and Daddy on my birthday last year, and there's me in my 'Punzel dress, and that's me at Christmas and there's me with my giraffe."

"You have a giraffe?" Madison sounded impressed, "You must have a _big_ back yard."

"No, silly!" Rosie laughed, "Daddy adopted it which means he gave the zoo money so they can give her food and make sure she's happy."

"Oh, wow," Madison said, "You're a lucky girl."

"She's mine though and we get to go to the zoo whenever we want!" Rosie grinned, "Maybe one day they'll let me pet her."

"Maybe, they should let you feed her too, right? If she's your giraffe," Madison looked at the photo, "Does she have a name?"

"I called her Patch!" Rosie said, "Because she's got lots of patches."

"Is that your mommy?" Madison pointed to the photo of Sam and Jess' wedding photo, "You look just like her!"

"She's pretty like a princess," Rosie had a proud smile, "I got eyes like Daddy though."

"You do. You have very pretty eyes," Madison looked at the rest of the photos.

"Mommy's in heaven," the little girl said perfectly casually, "She was sick when she was having me."

"Oh…" Madison's stomach dropped, "I'm so sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay," Rosie smiled at her, "She's in heaven and watching over me. My uncle Cas said so."

"He's right," Madison put an arm around her, feeling awful. She'd mentioned Sam's wife to him so many times and he hadn't said a word, he hadn't corrected her. If she'd known she would have kept her mouth shut. Rosie pointed at the photo of Dean holding her as a baby.

"That's my Uncle Dean. He's in heaven too," Rosie pointed at the baby, "That's me!"

"Aw, you were a cute baby," Madison smiled sadly, "Do you have grandparents?"

"I got Grandma and Grandpa. They're my mommy's mommy and daddy. And I got my Uncle Nathy. Daddy said he's Mommy's little brother," Rosie realised there were no photos of them, so she drew a picture of them instead, "Uncle Nathy's funny."

"What about Daddy's Mommy and Daddy?" Madison didn't mean to press so much, her curiosity had taken over.

"I don't know. Maybe they're in heaven with my Mommy and Uncle Dean," Rosie shrugged, frowning at her, "Why are you sad? You look sad."

"No, no, I'm fine," Madison tried to smile reassuringly, "Let's go back to my desk, right?"

Rosie skipped ahead, perfectly happy, but Madison was finding herself getting tearful. She'd never realised how alone Sam must be. It seemed he had no family to speak of. He had his in-laws, but otherwise it was just him and Rosie. No wonder he talked about her all the time. She was everything to him.

"What's this? Rosie Winchester?" Sam's boss, James, came out of the meeting room, "Are you working here now, little lady?"

"No," Rosie said shyly, "I've got a day off school."

"Well, aren't you lucky?" James chuckled, "And Dad brings you here to his boring work, huh?"

Sam's boss wasn't best pleased to see that Sam had brought his daughter in without telling him, but for him he mostly made an exception. Rosie was a good kid, she never disrupted anything. Or at least, she didn't now. He remembered the frustration of the infant fussing in meetings and distracting Sam from his work on the rare days he'd had to bring her with him. But he could sympathise. He was doing his best, James knew how difficult it could be balancing family life and work life in this job, but with Sam being a single father it must be so much harder. For that he gave him a pass.

"He's worked very hard today, I promise!" Rosie grinned, "He works the hardest."

"I'm sure he does. He's very clever," James smirked, "I bet you'll turn out just like him."

"I want to be a giraffe doctor when I'm older," Rosie said confidently, "I have a giraffe and I want to make sure she stays healthy forever."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be a very good giraffe doctor," James laughed, "Let me know how that goes, right?"

"I will," Rosie said proudly, waving at James as he went to get something from his office, and went back into the meeting room, "Maddie, can I read you this? I wrote it while Daddy was working."

"Of course you can, sweetie. What is it?" Madison couldn't help but find being called "Maddie" by her adorable.

"A letter," Rosie picked up the paper, completely written on and covered in hearts and other doodles. On the other side, a drawing of what seemed to be herself with her parents. Her mother had large pink wings. Her giraffe was there also for good measure, "For my Mommy."

"Aw, sweetie. That's nice," Madison smiled.

"Maybe Uncle Cas will give it to her," Rosie said thoughtfully, "He said he goes to heaven sometimes."

Madison frowned in confusion but decided not to ask about that one. Rosie started to read her letter, and it was so sweet, so innocent that Madison found tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt so bad for this kid, who was so fine about her mother not being around, but at the same time sad she never knew her. She talked so casually, like her mom was right in front of her.

"Daddy!" Rosie cut off her letter, hopping down from her seat and running to him as he approached her desk.

"Hey, monkey," Sam scooped her up, leaning on his crutch, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, me and Maddie looked at your photos and I drawed," Rosie hugged him, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby girl," Sam chuckled, kissing her temple, "What do you say to Madison for looking after you?"

"Thank you, Maddie," Rosie clung to Sam and looked at her with a shy smile, "I like you."

"You're welcome, sweetie," Madison smiled at her, her eyes still sparkling with tears.

Sam frowned at the sight of her looking so emotional, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," Madison nodded and smiled, "I'm fine."

He wasn't convinced, but he took Rosie back to his office and sat her down with her books, "I'll be right back, okay?"

Rosie nodded, and Sam headed back to check on the secretary. Only to be greeted by her throwing herself at him in a hug.

"Woah!" he gasped, stumbling a little and wincing when he put weight on his leg. He started to laugh, until he realised she was crying, "Hey…what's wrong? What happened?"

"I'm so sorry," she wept into him.

"About what?" Sam smiled slightly. Did she upset Rosie? She didn't seem upset. He couldn't figure it out.

"I didn't know your…I asked Rosie about her mom," Madison shook her head sadly, "You never mentioned it."

"It never really came up. It's okay. She's okay," Sam smiled reassuringly, "She…well, she doesn't even remember Jess."

"And your brother…"

"I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about it," Sam tried to convince her, but even he was feeling a little emotional now.

"It's just you and Rosie?" Madison wiped her eyes.

"Yeah," he blinked desperately to banish the tears, "Just us."

"Oh, Sam. You're incredible, you know that?" Madison said, emotion still thick in her voice.

"I just did what I had to do, that's all. Had to make sure my kid was fed, had a home, was happy," Sam shrugged, "That's not to say I wasn't thrown in the deep end."

"Rosie…she said your wife was sick when she was pregnant," Madison sighed, "You've been alone since she was born, haven't you?"

Sam nodded, struggling to find the words, "She was fine, happy, excited. I was too. Suddenly she just got sick. Thought it was just the flu, something she'd get over after some rest. Didn't work out that way."

His voice cracked, he hadn't talked about it for so long. It was bringing back the painful memories, but at the same time, it felt good to talk about it and let it all go free, "She was too weak to give birth on her own. Had to get Rosie out before I lost them both."

Keeping himself composed was getting harder by the second, "She held her for a minute. Just a minute. I don't have any photos, we'd been left alone for just a second. And the next thing I know I'm being shoved out the room with Rosie in my arms. Then she was gone."

Sam stifled a sob, doing everything he could to prevent himself from breaking down crying in the middle of his workplace.

"I can't imagine…that must have been…"

"I considered ending it all. I didn't feel like I could be a good father without her, I didn't want to be here living her dream. She'd been so excited and she only held her baby for a minute. It wasn't fair," Sam shook his head, "I was going to do it. I'd planned it all out. Then my brother showed up out of the blue, after almost ten years. And he stopped me. He didn't know he did, but he did. If he hadn't come that day…Rosie wouldn't have had parents. Or if she still had me, I don't know what kind of father I'd have been. I'll always be grateful to him for that."

"She's a beautiful little girl," Madison told him, her hand on his shoulder, "You've raised her so well."

"She's my world," Sam looked towards his office and noticed Rosie peeking from his door, "She's everything."

"I think she wants you to get to work," Madison smiled, wiping her eyes again, "I think I need to redo my mascara."

"Yeah, I'd rather not have James on my tail," Sam smirked, patting her shoulder reassuringly and heading back to his office, hoping he didn't look obviously tearful.

"You need to work, Daddy!" Rosie gasped, "You'll be behind!"

Without a word, Sam pulled his daughter into a hug, kissing her head lovingly and just keeping hold of her.

"I love you so much, baby girl," he whispered.

"More than the moon and the stars?" Rosie asked.

"Way more than the moon and stars. I love you all the way to the end of space," Sam chuckled.

"How far away is that?"

"I have no idea, but it's very very far," Sam grinned at her, squeezing her hand.

"I love you more than anything else in the world," Rosie rested her head on Sam's shoulder.

Sam and Rosie got home, and immediately Rosie got ready to watch Star Wars while Sam made a start on dinner. He couldn't help but think about how Madison had reacted to his past. He also couldn't believe he'd unloaded everything. He hated talking about losing Jess. But something about Madison, he trusted her. Maybe he liked her a little. He shook the thought from his mind. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready for another relationship, but it felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

He brought the two plates of spaghetti into the living room, for once allowing them to eat in front of the TV.

"My favourite!" Rosie squealed, sitting up on the couch and placing her Kylo Ren figure beside her, and her Chewbacca plushie on her other side, "Thank you, Daddy!"

"You're very welcome, sweetie," Sam chuckled, "Make sure Chewie doesn't try to eat your meal for you."

"He's not allowed! It's my favourite!" Rosie grinned, "He'll make his fur gross."

Sam sat beside her and put the movie on for them. Rosie could almost recite the whole thing.

"Daddy, can you make my hair pretty like Rey's for school?" she asked quietly, putting her plate on the floor.

"What about Chewie?" Sam ruffled her hair, so it fell over her face.

"No, silly!" Rosie squeaked, "Pretty Rey hair!"

"I can try," Sam winced as she climbed onto his knee, putting weight on his injured leg.

"Can I have a Rey costume too?" Rosie asked hopefully, "And a lightsaber?"

"Well, I'll have to see about that," Sam chuckled, "If you're such a Kylo Ren fan I'm not sure I want you having a lightsaber."

"But I won't hurt you like Kylo does with his Daddy! I promise!" Rosie giggled, "He's good!"

"Well, if you're sure," Sam squeezed her gently, "I guess you'll have to tell him to be good when you go visit him, huh?"

"Visit him?" Rosie frowned, her eyes lit up, "Did you buy a spaceship? A minnellium falcon?"

"Not quite," Sam laughed, "A little too expensive."

"Then what?"

"Well…you've been very brave recently and it's your birthday coming up…" Sam couldn't help but smile, looking forward to her reaction, "And I've _heard_ that Kylo and Chewie like to come visit a little place that you've really wanted to visit ever since you could talk…"

"Do you mean?" Rosie gasped, squeaking with excitement.

"Disneyworld, maybe?" Sam grinned, "I mean, if you _really_ want to."

"Yes yes yes!" Rosie screamed, immediately bursting into tears, "It will be the biggest dream come true ever!"

"Aww, well if it's gonna make you sad then maybe we won't go," Sam teased as Rosie threw herself at him in a hug.

"I'm not sad!" Rosie sobbed, "I'm very very very happy!"

"Well, thank god for that," Sam chuckled, stroking her hair, "So do you want to have lunch with princesses or hug Chewie and Kylo on your birthday?"

"I don't know," she sniffled, "That's a big decision."

"I _guess_ we could do both, right?" Sam smiled at her, squeezing her gently. Rosie squealed again and hugged him.

"You're the best Daddy in the world," Rosie's voice was muffled as she buried her face in Sam's shoulder, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Sam chuckled, rubbing her back gently. He couldn't deny he was looking forward to their vacation too, finally he might be able to take his mind off everything, even if it meant spending an absolute fortune on his daughter. He'd booked it a while ago, partially funded by his mother-in-law who insisted. He just wondered how everything happening with Dean would affect it.


End file.
